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(left) Karma Sonam looks for the groupâs monastery in India while Tenpa Dhargyal holds his finger over New Orleans on a large map of the word. The Drepung Loseling monasteryâs Mystical Arts of Tibet â an American branch of the organization
(left) Karma Sonam looks for the groupâs monastery in India while Tenpa Dhargyal holds his finger over New Orleans on a large map of the word. The Drepung Loseling monasteryâs Mystical Arts of Tibet â an American branch of the organization â is based in Atlanta, Georgia., though the traveling monks spend most of their time crossing from state to state spreading the monasteryâs tradition of wisdom and compassion. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Geshee Tesring Dhondup - the senior lama of Drepung Losling Monastery walks through the warehouse Mardi Gras World warehouse where the iconic holiday parade floats are made photo: Pawel Wyszomirski/ TESTIGO.pl
Geshee Tesring Dhondup - the senior lama of Drepung Losling Monastery walks through the warehouse Mardi Gras World warehouse where the iconic holiday parade floats are made photo: Pawel Wyszomirski/ TESTIGO.pl
The Drepung Loseling monks on their way to the chanting ceremony at the New Orleans Convention Center. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
The Drepung Loseling monks on their way to the chanting ceremony at the New Orleans Convention Center. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
Sonam Dorjee, chantmaster for a group of Drepung Loseling monks travelling in New Orleans, takes a break from interacting with the public to goof around with Mardis Gras decorations inside of the Mardis Gras World warehouse where the iconic holiday parade
Sonam Dorjee, chantmaster for a group of Drepung Loseling monks travelling in New Orleans, takes a break from interacting with the public to goof around with Mardis Gras decorations inside of the Mardis Gras World warehouse where the iconic holiday parade floats are made.photo: Rashah McChesney
Two bicycle police, part of a program of police outreach in certain New Orleans neighborhoods, stopped in to be blessed by the travelling monks. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Two bicycle police, part of a program of police outreach in certain New Orleans neighborhoods, stopped in to be blessed by the travelling monks. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Tenzin Nyima and Tempa Dhargyal crouch over a partially completed sand mandala at the New Orleans Convention Center. photo: Rashah McChesney /TESTIGO.pl
Tenzin Nyima and Tempa Dhargyal crouch over a partially completed sand mandala at the New Orleans Convention Center. photo: Rashah McChesney /TESTIGO.pl
The process of creating the sand mandala involves scraping individual grains of sand out of a tool used to guide the sand onto lines the group drew on the table as an outline of their creation.photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
The process of creating the sand mandala involves scraping individual grains of sand out of a tool used to guide the sand onto lines the group drew on the table as an outline of their creation.photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
The Drepung Loseling monks work on nearly finnished sand mandala. It took them 5 days to complete it. The group worked on the mandala in shifts each day. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
The Drepung Loseling monks work on nearly finnished sand mandala. It took them 5 days to complete it. The group worked on the mandala in shifts each day. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
The 14th Dalai Lama makes a surprise visit to a sand mandala the Drepung Loseling monks had been working to complete in advance of his arrival. While it wasnât fully completed, the Dalai Lama blessed the mandala and the group that created it. He left
The 14th Dalai Lama makes a surprise visit to a sand mandala the Drepung Loseling monks had been working to complete in advance of his arrival. While it wasnât fully completed, the Dalai Lama blessed the mandala and the group that created it. He left almost as quickly as he came and it took several minutes for the group to stop laughing and compose themselves enough to finish their work. photo: Rashah Mcchesney / TESTIGO.pl
A ceremonial dumping of sand into the Mississippi River marked the end of the a week-long effort to make a sand mandala by the Drepung Loseling monks. After forming the mandala out of individual grains of sand, the monks presented it to the Dalai Lama
A ceremonial dumping of sand into the Mississippi River marked the end of the a week-long effort to make a sand mandala by the Drepung Loseling monks. After forming the mandala out of individual grains of sand, the monks presented it to the Dalai Lama who blessed it before â in a demonstration of impermanence â the group scattered the sand, destroying the picture. It is an activity the repeat at every stop on their journey with the Dalai Lama. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
A child watches as a woman in the audience meditates during a prayer by the Drepung Loseling monks at The Lakefront Arena. New Orleans. of their sand mandal. The group performs a distinctive type of deep throat singing while chanting blessings upon the cr
A child watches as a woman in the audience meditates during a prayer by the Drepung Loseling monks at The Lakefront Arena. New Orleans. of their sand mandal. The group performs a distinctive type of deep throat singing while chanting blessings upon the crowd. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
A woman enjoys a plate of nachos, one of several types of snack food available to the audience who attended the Dalai Lamaâs last speech at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena. The spiritual leader focused his speech on the connections peop
A woman enjoys a plate of nachos, one of several types of snack food available to the audience who attended the Dalai Lamaâs last speech at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena. The spiritual leader focused his speech on the connections people share and developing a sense of universal responsibility. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Geshee Tesring Dhondup - the senior lama of Drepung Losling Monastery presents the front page of The Advocate that has the chanting monks photograph on the front page. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
Geshee Tesring Dhondup - the senior lama of Drepung Losling Monastery presents the front page of The Advocate that has the chanting monks photograph on the front page. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
Tenzin Nyima plays with Tenzin while Karma Sonam talks to Jennifer Myhre the wife of a retired monk. Myhre and her husband live in New Orleans. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Tenzin Nyima plays with Tenzin while Karma Sonam talks to Jennifer Myhre the wife of a retired monk. Myhre and her husband live in New Orleans. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Geshee Yeshee Nyima presents the singing bowl to the vistors of the Tibetan Bazaar where Drepung Losling monks trade memorabillia. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
Geshee Yeshee Nyima presents the singing bowl to the vistors of the Tibetan Bazaar where Drepung Losling monks trade memorabillia. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
A pot of tea boils for several guests who brought Coca-Cola as gifts for the monks. photo: Rashah McChesney/TESTIGO.PL
A pot of tea boils for several guests who brought Coca-Cola as gifts for the monks. photo: Rashah McChesney/TESTIGO.PL
Tenpa Dhargyal relaxes with a book after long day of work and prayers and meditation. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
Tenpa Dhargyal relaxes with a book after long day of work and prayers and meditation. photo: Rashah McChesney / TESTIGO.pl
Teardown of the sand mandala and altar went quickly as the group is well-versed in the art of packing up the objects and preparing to move to the next city. Several in the group said they had been on the road in the U.S. for more than a year.photo: Pawel
Teardown of the sand mandala and altar went quickly as the group is well-versed in the art of packing up the objects and preparing to move to the next city. Several in the group said they had been on the road in the U.S. for more than a year.photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Lobsang Kunga looks out over the city as the group drives of the Crescent City Connection over downtown New Orleans. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
Lobsang Kunga looks out over the city as the group drives of the Crescent City Connection over downtown New Orleans. photo: Pawel Wyszomirski / TESTIGO.pl
by Rashah McChesney and Pawel Wyszomirski
May, 2013. A travelling group of Drepung Loseling Tibetan Buddhist monks spent aweek in New Orleans in advance of the Dalai Lama's first visit to the city....
Mingling Cultures
by Rashah McChesney and Pawel Wyszomirski
May, 2013. A travelling group of Drepung Loseling Tibetan Buddhist monks spent aweek in New Orleans in advance of the Dalai Lama's first visit to the city. The monks - who trace the origins of their monastic tradition to 13th century Tibet - spent most of their time working on an ornate sand mandala to a steady stream of visitors interested in Tibetan culture. After several days of work, and a blessing from the Dalai Lama, the group destroyed the creation, symbolizing the Tibetan belief that life is transitory. While many of the travelling monks were unable to communicate in English beyond the simple words needed to sell cultural items in their marketplace or thank a crowd for coming, senior monks and a spokesperson for the group talked extensively about the group?s mission of wisdom and compassion.The monks led a relatively austere lifestyle while in the city, depending primarily on donations of food and shelter and packing few belongings for the trip. Still, moments of the combining cultures could be seen in frequent trips to Starbucks, shared video and cell phone photos and gathering around a television to watch the San Antonio Spurs play a game after a long day of work.
